Matthew knew that Erica was bold, but he hadn't expected her to be this audacious. She had the guts to scheme against Gifford!
His tone was firm as he said, "No." Then he turned and continued to walk toward the hotel room door.
"Hey, didn't you agree to do me a favor? Why are you breaking your promise?" Erica huffed as she stubbornly stood in his way.
Matthew couldn't believe her persistence. Had she not considered all the risks? He frowned as he replied, "Do you know how much Chantel will suffer if anything goes wrong?" 'What if Gifford doesn't like Chantel?'
"Oh! Don't worry. Chantel agreed when I spoke with her." Erica wouldn't do such a terrible thing without Chantel's approval. However, since Chantel had consented, Erica thought she was just a matchmaker.
Matthew was speechless. At this moment, he realized that the two women had discussed the plot against Gifford in the bathroom!
As he had hesitated, Erica decided to take advantage of the situation and continue coaxing him. She pouted and gazed at him with sorrowful eyes, like a spoiled child, and said, "Honey, after this, I will be obedient. I will give you a baby as soon as possible. No, five! Five cute babies! Since we're wealthy enough, we can afford so many children!"
She hoped that all the children would be boys so that she could teach them how to take Matthew's property from him. Then, the man would be homeless and would learn about society's cruelty!
Matthew was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had grown to be arrogant and aloof as he hadn't experienced society's unkindness.
Although Erica had not experienced adversities, she wasn't cold and impassive around people.
Matthew scoffed. She had lured him with the same promise so many times that he was no longer inclined to believe her.
The last time she had asked him to make a baby with her, he had exhausted himself trying. But, she had fled from their home. She tricked the bodyguard, snuck out of the house, climbed the wall, and escaped in the dead of the night!
What worried him now was the thought that Erica might behave similarly when pregnant. As this wasn't the first time she had evaded the guards at the villa, he had to consider and prepare for a repeat incident. Perhaps he needed more people to follow her from now on.
"Honey, decide quickly. My brother is leaving tomorrow! And if you don't help me, I'll tell your father that you hit me and kicked me out of the house in the middle of the night." Erica was so anxious that she started threatening him to get what she wanted.
"I hit you?"
"No, no, no." When she saw the expression on his face, Erica realized her mistake. She quickly corrected herself, "I ran away. Thank you for looking for me in the middle of the night. Hee hee."
Matthew closed his eyes as frustration coursed through him. No matter what he did, she would find a way to get what she wanted. It was easier to give in. At that thought, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Find something and bring it to me. I'm at the Three-Degree Longitude Hotel on Three-Degree Longitude Road."
Erica was thrilled when she heard the remainder of the conversation. He was doing exactly what she wanted. Now that her plan was materializing, she was excited enough to hop around! She knew that he would help her! Matthew had instructed the person on the call to bring him what she wanted!
At this moment, Erica swore to herself that she would live up to her end of the bargain and have a baby for Matthew.
But, when they returned to the villa, Matthew went straight upstairs. He even ignored her when she called his name several times!
Erica pouted as she watched his disappearing figure. Wasn't he in a fine mood a few moments ago?
Even though she knew she was wrong, she felt that he had also partly been at fault. Why wasn't he speaking with her? 'Humph!'
Just as Matthew stepped into the closet to find fresh clothes, Erica appeared at the door. When he turned to leave, she fawned, "Matthew."
The man glanced at her coldly before saying, "Go to sleep, or we will continue to have sex!"
'Continue?' A shudder ran through Erica when she remembered how exhausted she was after their night-time activities. Unwilling to feel that way again, she ran to the bedside, kicked off her slippers, and hopped into bed as fast as she could. She even went so far as to close her eyes and feign being asleep!
Matthew sighed helplessly as he watched her antics. For a moment, he was tempted to ask his parents-in-law whether he could end this marriage.
If he returned Erica to her parents... No, no. He didn't have the heart to part from her. No matter what she did or how she behaved, he loved her. And, he didn't want any other man to have her. He wanted to stay married to her and spoil her himself!
At about four o'clock in the morning, someone knocked on Chantel's hotel room door.
Chantel, who had been asleep, woke with the sound. As it was the middle of the night, she was scared and did not dare to open the door. With bated breath, she listened for any indication of the identity of her visitor.
Just when she was debating over whether it was Gifford, who was next door, silence descended in the hall outside her door.
A split second later, a shrill sound filled her room. Chantel almost jumped out of her skin in fright! It took her a few moments to realize it was the landline phone in her room.
She answered the phone. "Hello."
A woman's voice replied, "Miss Ye, I work for Mrs. Huo. Please open the door. I have something to give you."
Chantel sighed with relief when she heard the woman's explanation. "Okay, wait a moment!"
When she opened the door, she saw a woman with short hair standing outside. She appeared quite professional in her black outfit! She glanced around the corridor vigilantly before she entered the room.
After closing the door, she took out something and handed it to Chantel. "This is the spray that Mrs. Huo asked me to bring to you. Apply some, wait a few minutes, and then you can find the person you want."
Chantel's hands trembled. 'Erica is so efficient.'
She swallowed nervously as she studied the spray bottle. It had no logo. 'Could she be sure of its contents? Would the plan work? What if something went wrong?' Several thoughts raced through her mind all at once. "I...I see."
"Miss Ye, would it be all right if I spray it on you? I'll even take the bottle away after we're done. All you need to do is go to the person you want."
Chantel couldn't settle her racing heart no matter how hard she tried. Rendered speechless, she nodded at the woman.
The woman opened the bottle and sprayed the contents on Chantel's body. A brief moment later, the air filled with a faint, pleasant fragrance of flowers.
When she was done, the woman placed the lid back on the bottle, covered her mouth and nose, and said, "I'll leave now!"
"Okay, thank you!"
"You're welcome!"
After the woman left, Chantel leaned against the wall and tried to steady her breath. Gifford was next door. Was she really going to do that?
Rika had already arranged everything for her. If she were to renege at this time, Rika's efforts would be wasted.
At this thought, Chantel took a deep breath and walked out of the room. A faint scent of flowers trailed her as she made her way to the room next door and rang the bell.
She didn't need to wait long for a response.
Gifford, who was vigilant, asked as soon as the bell rang, "Who is it?"
"It's me!" she answered before taking several deep breaths to steady herself.
'Chantel, the Li family is your benefactor. All you need to do is seduce him and get pregnant! And the man is Gifford. You can do this!' she persuaded herself.
A few seconds later, Gifford, in the hotel bathrobe, opened the door. Confusion marred his handsome features as he asked, "Why haven't you gone to bed yet?"
Before she could reply, the sweet floral fragrance drifted toward him. He didn't pay much attention to it as he thought it was the scent of her body.
Chantel glanced around as though worried, grabbed his arm, and said in a trembling voice, "I'm a little scared... Your room has two beds. Can I... come inside... and sleep on the other bed?"
Chantel and Erica had booked a room with twin beds. To protect her, Gifford had no choice but to reserve the room next door, which coincidently had twin beds as well.
,